Dawson Basks in Leisure as Chief Runners Work
Herald Sports Writer
Rarely
will Lenny Dawson spend so leisurely a fall Sunday afternoon as he did at
the Orange Bowl. He threw only 13 passes while five Kansas City backs ran
up 252 yards rushing.
The
Chiefs tried almost three times as many running plays as passes (43-16) in
routing the Dolphins, 24-0; a fact unusual to the pass-oriented provincialism
of pro football.
“We
felt we could do some things from a running standpoint.” Coach Hank Stram said.
“We ran a little more than we usually do, but we were doing it well so why
change?”
Stram
would not elaborate on what his offensive linemen were doing to the Dolphins. “We
play them again in a few weeks," he said. "You can't afford to give
away any luxuries.”
Kansas
City's defensive line, when not chasing Dolphin quarterback Bob Griese, limited
Miami's offense to 130 total yards. “I thought we played extremely well defensively,”
Stram said. “Griese is terrific and (Jack) Clancy is a good receiver, but
our defensive line kept the pressure on.”
Someone
asked Stram whether the Chiefs applied any more pressure on Griese the rookie
than they would for Bart Starr. “There you go again," he said with a
smile. "We've got to play these guys again (Oct. 8 in Kansas City)."
Dawson
said it was hard to evaluate Griese’s performance became of the strong KC
pass rush. "He was under a lot of pressure,'* Lenny said. “It’s hard
to say whether he was scrambling before he had to or not.”
Kansas
City uses dozens of offensive formations off Stram’s new tightend-I formation.
"We probably ran a little too much off that today." Dawson said.
"But we created the formation and it helps reduce the reading time for
a defense.”
The Chiefs
did not unload their bomb until early in the fourth quarter when Dawson hit
flanker Otis Taylor for a 51-yard touchdown pass. “We hadn't thrown deep,"
Dawson said. “Had they blitzed, the play wouldn't have gone. I would have had
to get rid of the ball."
Kansas
City players were armed for Miami's 90 degrees and 92 percent humidity. They
cooled off on the sidelines by donning pith helmets and drinking Gatorade.
The Chiefs joined the Gatorade brigade several weeks ago when defensive end
Chuck Hurston lost 20 pounds against the Los Angeles Rams and KC lost the
game, 44-24, in the second half.
''Everytime we play here the first half is grueling." said halfback Mike Garrett, who ran through, around and between Dolphin defenders for 181 yards. "We just can't breathe."
Garrett
said he was the most surprised person in the Orange Bowl on his 34-yard touchdown
dance down the north sidelines two minutes into the second quarter.
“I
thought if I went out, the referee would call it,” he said. “It was such an
angle from the sidelines that nobody could get a shot at me.”
My
men had me boxed like a wall. I couldn't get out-- and they couldn't get in.
When I got over, I was as surprised as anyone."
KC's
286-pound defensive tackle Buck Buchanan also was tired.
"We
were a little motivated today because the defense wasn't hitting people in
Houston," the former Grambling giant said. "But I don't particularly
like playing against Miami. You can't tell what they'll do in certain situations.
You play cautious and they'll beat you. We just played tough today."